Problems and Prospects of Billing Systems in the Housing and Utilities Sector of Russia

Abstract

The article deals with the problems and prospects of using billing systems on SaaS (software as a service) software complex in the housing and utilities sector and civil engineering. As consumers are considered both individuals and construction companies. The construction also uses utilities. These utilities also need to be paid. Currently, “thin billing” is predominantly used in Russia, where each service provider applies its own metering system. The supplier independently performs calculations, and then transfers the information to the Financial Settlement Center in the established format, where after a billing document is drawn up and sent to the consumer of utilities. This format has an advantage only for suppliers, as they can change the tariff corridor and set flexible conditions. From the point of view of the consumer, such a format does not allow tracing all settlement schemes. And in the event of failures or technical errors, the consumer will have to find out the reasons in all instances as before. In order to eliminate bureaucratic processes, it is proposed to implement turnkey billing systems in a “one window” format, where all operations of the housing and utilities industry are consolidated into one platform. Despite proven reliability, billing systems in Russia require large financial investments to ensure complete information security.